Signors to t



(NO Mod l.)

A.- D- & A B. GARPET SWEEPER.

No. 554,826. Patented Feb. 18, 1896.

a Y: m 5 T710 N N z R 5 0 T V T ml A UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN D. LINN AND ALLEN B. LINN, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, AS-

SIGNORS TO T. STEWART WHITE, THOMAS FRIANT, GAIUS \V. PERKINS, ANDCHARLES J. REED, OF SAME PLACE.

CARPET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,826, dated February18, 1896.

Application filed June 18, 1894. Serial No. 514,867. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALLEN D. LINN and ALLEN B. LINN, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and Stateof Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCarpet-Sweepers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

One object of our invention is to provide a device in which thebrush-shaft is adjusted to one height by inclining the bail in onedirection and to another height by inclining the bail in the otherdirection.

Another object of the present invention is to provide the sweeper withmeans whereby a tendency will be exerted upon the case which 2 willcause the end of the latter remote from the operator to hug the floorduring the back stroke in the operation of sweeping and to turn into aplane at right angles with the handle when the sweeper is lifted fromthe floor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sweeper in which thedrippings of oil from the bearing will be prevented from reaching thefloor or carpet without requiring the provision of supplemental meansfor catching said drippings.

A still further object of our present invention is to provide means forraising and lowering the dust-pans, which will be of simple cheap, anddurable construction.

These several objects are accomplished by the construction illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinalvertical section on the line 1 1 of Figs. 2 and 3 of a device em- 4bodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of thesame on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 with the dust-pan mechanism omitted; Fig.3, a similar section of the same with the brush and bail adjustingmechanism omitted,

and Fig. 4 a detail of the dump-bar for the pans.

Like letters refer to like parts in all of the figures.

A represents the case, B the brush-shaft,

5 and C the drive-wheels, which latter support the case and drive thebrush in the usual manner and are fixed on the ends of a shaft D, whichshaft rotates with the said wheels and is journaled near the middle in abearing E located within the case and connected to the case by aflexible hanger E, which hanger is rigidly secured to said bearing andserves to press the drive-wheels in contact with the brush-pulleys andalso to support the case.

A tube G extends upward from the bearing E through the case, whereby anysuitable lubri: cant may be supplied to said bearing. WVe prefer somesuitable solid lubricant that may be placed in said tube and graduallyworn away at the lower end by the journal of the shaft. Such lubricantwill thus last a long time without renewal.

When the wheels rotate on the shaft they require to be oiled, which oildoes not last long and is liable to escape and get upon the carpet. Bythis construction if any lubricant escapes from the journal-bearing itfalls into the contents of the dust-pan R, which is located immediatelybeneath the bearing and does no harm. So also we can use a practicallyrigid shaft D. Thus the wheels C are kept in line with the direction ofmotion and in more accurate contact with the brushpulleys.

The bail K and the brush-shaft are mov- 8o able vertically in unisonindependently of the movement of the case, and to produce such movementautomatically by inclining the bail and by raising it to verticalposition said bail is provided at each end with an inwardly-projectingjournal L passing through a vertically-movable hanger 0, having a stud Oon which the brush-shaft B is journaled. Said journal L also passesthrough a vertically-elongated opening Q in the case and is providedwith a head M on its inner end,

which head engages a stud N fixed in the case. Said head is alsoprovided with an arm V, to which is pivoted one end of a spring P, whichspring acts to press upward and force the head M against the stud N.Said head is also provided with a depression T, which engages the stud Nwhen the bail is vertical and retains said bail in said position andalso permits the brush to rise clear of the floor to prevent putting apermanent bend in its bristles. Said head M is also provided with curvedsurfaces U U, concentric with its axis and of different radii. When thebail is moved from the vertical in one direction, the surface U, havingthe shorter radius, contacts the stud N and moves the brush downward but little,thns adjusting said brush high for soft carpets and the like.

By inclining the bail oppositely the surface U having the longer radiuscontacts the stud N and adjusts the brush lower than before for use onhard carpets or bare floors. The brush is thus auton'iatically removedfrom the floor when the bail is vertical, and lowered to a high positionor to a low position as the bail is inclined from the perpendicular inone or the other direction and after such adjustment is not changed byany slight variation in the angle of the bail. Any downward pressure onthe bail suflieient to overcome the spring I will temporarily lower thebrush still further for any emergency. If the sweeper be lifted from thefloor for dumping the pans when the bail inclined, the spring P willautomatically turn the case in the plane of the handle, and when thedevice is sweeping the tendency to thus turn serves to hold the side ofthe case most distant from the operator down upon the floor on the backstroke.

S is the device for operatin g the pan, which is made of a single pieceof sheet metal, having the form shown and pivoted to the pan R at itslower end and extended upward through the case, being partially dividedlongitudr nally, one part being coiled as at S and secured to the caseto act as a spring to close and hold the pan, and the other partprovided with a longitudinal fold S to stiffen the same, and atransverse bend S to form a thumb-piece at its outer end.

The bail K is provided with a socket I, having a smooth tapered axialopening and the smaller end of said socket is spirally inclined to itsaxis, as at I.

The handle II has a tapered end to fit within said opening and issecured by a wire hook J, having oppositely-bent ends, one of whichenters the handle and the other of which extends outward and engages theinclined end of said socket. Beneath said hook J the handle is channeledto permit said hook to spring inward as it passes within the opening ofthe socket I. Passing through, it springs outward to engage the end ofthe socket. By rotating the handle II the hook J traverses the incline Iand forces the handle firmly into the opening of the socket and securesit in place.

hat we claim is 1. In a carpet-sweeper, the combination of the casing;the drive-wheels; the shaft upon the endsof which said drive-wheels arefixed, said shaft being rotated by said drive-wheels; a dust-pan; and ajournal-bearing for said shaft, located within the interior of theeasing and immediately over the dust-pan, substantially as described.

2. I11 a carpet-sweeper, the combination with the casing, and therotative shaft having drive-whcels fixed on its ends, of the dust pan,the journal-bearingfor the shaft, located Within the case andimmediately over the dust-pan, and the lubricant-condnctor extendingfrom said bearing through the case, substantially as described.

3. In a carpet-sweeper, the combination with the case, thevertically-movable brushshaft, and the bail having connection with saidbrush-shaft, of the journals for said bail, having curved heads providedwith depressions and also having arms extending from said heads, studsengaged by the curved surfaces of said heads during the movement of thebail upon its journals and received by said depressions when the bail isvertical, and springs secured to the case and to the ends of said arms,substantially as described.

4. In a carpet-sweeper, drive-wheels engaging the brush-pnlleys, a shaftfixed in said. drive-wheels and rotating therewith, a central bearingfor said shaft, a flexible hanger connecting said bearing with the ease,and pressing said shaft toward the brush-shaft, and a tube extendingfrom said bearing through the case, substantially as described.

5. In a carpet-sweeper, a case having vertically-elongated openings, abail journaled in said openings, hangers connecting the brush-shaft andsaid bail, springs pressing the journals of said bail upward, studs insaid case, and heads on said bail having curved surfaces of differentradii engaging said studs to depress said bail and brush, substantiallyas described.

6. In a carpet-sweeper, a case having vertically-elongated openings, abail journaled in said openings and vertically movable therewith, abruslrshaft connected to said bail and vertically movable therewith,springs pressing said bail upward, studs fixed in said case, headsattached to said bail, and engaging said studs and having two curvedsurfaces concentric with its axis and of different radii, and anintermediate depression engaging said studs when the bail is in verticalposition, substantially as described.

7. In. a carpet-sweeper, vertically-movable and pivoted bail, abrush-shaft connected to said bail and vertically movable therewith,fixed studs in the case, heads attached to the bail-pivots and engagingsaid studs, said heads having depressions and curved surfaces ofdifferent radii engaging said studs and arms extending from. said headsand springs attached to said arms and pressing said bail and brush-shaftupward and turning the bail on its pivots, substantially as described.

8. 111 a carpet-sweeper, a bail having a socket having a smooth taperedopening and a spirally-inclined end, a handle having a tapered end tofit within said opening, and a spring-hook in said handle to engage thespiral end of said socket, substantially as described.

9. In a carpet-sweeper, the case having vertically-elongated openingsand fixed studs, in combination with a bail having journals in saidopenings, said journals having heads and depressions receiving saidstuds when the bail is vertical, arms projecting from said heads, andsprings secured to the case and to the ends of said arms, all arrangedand operating substantially as described.

10. As an improved article of manufacture, the herein-described devicefor raising and

